The first time I used an Esbit stove was in 2004, when I was on a road trip to the Nordkapp in Norway with my brother. He gave me a Germany Army Esbit folding stove earlier that year, and as we decided to travel to the most northern point of Europe I thought it might come in handy and took it along. We indeed used it on that trip, on a windy day down in a Fjord, and we tried to cook Ravioli in a can on it. We ate lukewarm and burned Ravioli that day, and since then I haven’t used Esbit that much.

It wasn’t until I started to lighten up that I was again using Esbit. My Ti-Tri Caldera came with the Gram Cracker Stove, TrailDesign’s super-light Esbit stove, and I gave it a few tries back then, but preferred wood as fuel (don’t need to carry it, abundant, doesn’t cost anything). I still carried some Esbit, though - as I wasn’t yet as proficient in starting a fire I always had an Esbit tablet as a back-up - it’s dead easy to lighten even on a windy and rainy day, and could be the difference between a cold and a hot meal. A tablet weighs 14 gram including packaging, so it’s a light and reliable back-up in my opinion (in winter I still carry a tablet or more depending on the length of the trip).

It wasn’t until the Ultralight Summit and seeing both Jotaro & Tatsuya use a wonderfully light and easy setup which used Esbit as a fuel, that I became interested in it again. Back at home I started to do research, harassed Tatsuya to write a blog post about his setup, and sent an unreasonably high amount of Euros in exchange for 81 grams of Titanium to some Ultralight Outdoor Gear webshop in the UK.

After an equally unreasonable long amount of time the ultralight parcel of joy arrived at my door, and it was with much horror that I needed to realise that you can’t even trust an ultralight webshop anymore, as my Esbit Ti-Wing stove was a mighty 27% over the claimed weight - 14 g instead of 11 g it was supposed to be (further research has shown that these stove are usually 14 g and we’re being treated like dumb customers). After I recovered from this massive disappointment, which fellow ULers will certainly understand, I headed outdoors to have a cup of coffee to calm my nerves.

Living in a coastal town means we’re blessed with a stiff breeze all the time. You just don’t want to go outdoors with at least a windshirt, and you don’t want to use a stove without a windscreen either. So I rummaged through a box titled ”Kitchen Stuff” to find a windscreen I could use with my new stove and pot. Happily the Clikstand had a suitable windscreen, and so I set off to boil myself with the 14 g stove a cup of hot water for a coffee. Despite that stiff breeze and the slightly oversized windscreen I was stirring the Starbucks Via coffee in my titanium cup with my titanium spoon six minutes later. After a few more minutes I had recovered from the shock of the heavy stove and was content about this easy setup; a stove, spork, windscreen, lighter and a few Esbit tablets fit without problems in the cup, which in turn fits well into one of the small cuben sacks I had lying around. A fine Gentlemen even sent me some titanium foil so once I get around to it I could even make a lighter windscreen and a pot lid, making it even lighter and more efficient.

• 14 g Wing stove
• 50 g pot
• 21 g Clikstand windscreen
• 04 g ZPacks cuben stuff sack
• 89 g TOTAL

Then things started to happen quickly: LiteTrail presented the Solid Fuel Cook System which in the 2012 incarnation tips the scales at 84 gram. There’s a lot that speaks for the LiteTrail Esbit system:

• It is a complete system so you don’t need to purchase different items at possibly different shops (it’s a pain in the butt to settle on the lightest Ti Cup with the best volume)
• The pot has a (heavy) lid
• It has a Ti windscreen and ground protector included
• It comes with a cuben stuff sack
• It is DAMN LIGHT

Well, the post was fast for a change and one landed in front of my door in no time. I didn’t bother taking it in, but went straight out to boil some water for another coffee. Then it didn’t take long and plenty of snow, -20°C and darkness arrived. It’s wonderful how things sometimes conspire against me, but I deal with it. I sit tight, watch the moon, wait for the sun, and as soon as the snow is melted and the grass is still brown I head out to give it a run for its weight. And it is in spring just as fantastic as it was in the autumn.

• 13 g Wing stove
• 07 g Windscreen
• 01 g Ground protector
• 60 g 550 ml Ti pot (Lid 18 g)
• 03 g Cuben stuff sack
• 84 g TOTAL (66 g without lid)

Again, everything fits inside the pot, including a lighter, a foldable spork or a short spoon as well as three to five Esbit tablets.

But could it be lighter still? I couldn’t help but wonder. Well, I’m happy to inform you that it is possible. The answer is the Caldera Keg-GVP Stove System. It’s what Glen Van Peski uses. Once I started to explore Esbit stoves there was no way to not try it.

• 03 g Gram Cracker stove
• 07 g Beer Band
• 39 g Caldera Cone
• 38 g Fosters can pot (Lid 07 g)
• 77 g TOTAL (70 g without lid, 63 g without Beer Band and lid)

As with the above systems, everything fits into the pot - or Fosters Can, in my case. Additionally also plenty of Esbit tablets, a Bic lighter, some Starbucks Via and a foldable spork fit inside, though unlike the two Ti pots above you need to be careful with the pot - but because you’re reading this I imagine you know how to take a bit care of your gear and don’t throw stuff around camp in a fit of anger because you again forgot your spoon.

The next revelation about Esbit came when I set out to bake a muffin with my Flat Cat Gear Bobcat system. Flat Cat Gear has an Esbit stove called Epicurean Classic, and it allows you to let a single tablet burn for 50+ minutes. That. Is. Awesome.

Let me repeat that, in case you overflew that sentence: MUFFINS! You can bake a muffin on the trail. Husbands, partners, guys, girls, take note: You want that your wife/ fiancée/ partner/ girlfriend/ boyfriend enjoys the outdoors just as much as you do? Then you want to bake muffins for dessert in the evenings, and a nice cake for breakfast (you also will give your partner your most comfiest sleeping pad and warmest quilt, in case you didn’t know). It’s a well-known fact that after eating muffins and cakes one is happy. Happy partner = more hiking together =)

The Flat Cat Gear stove is otherwise an outlier in this article as it is, ähem, not light. As in 382 gram for the whole setup. As in You will carry that nevertheless to be able to cook muffins, cakes, and bread on the trail - and to put things in perspective, it’s still 2/3 lighter than a Trangia. And it can make MUFFINS!

Musings on pots

What’s the right pot size? Does it need a handle? Does it need to be Titanium (Dumb question, of course it needs to be!)?

The Trangia generation might look in disbelief at you if you get out your 550 ml coffee cup at the camping ground and declare that your pot. But then you hiked 35 km today, saw the sunrise from the summit while the Trangia user had a in-depth look at his shoes and the trail for five hours. At least he has two pots and a pan, he might think*. Anyway.

Once you go light you most likely will look at ways to minimize the heaviest item in your pack: Food. Dehydrated meals save space and weight, and can be delicious. You also minimize the time used to prepare a dehydrated meal: Boil water, pour in bag, let it rehydrate, eat. To rehydrate a meal one needs usually between 250 - 400 ml of water, and the small cups above all fit that bill. The Evernew EBY-265 I bought has 400 ml volume, the LiteTrail pot 550 ml and the Trail Designs Keg 700 ml. With the Evernew you likely will need to boil two cups for a rehydrated dinner and a cup of coffee/ tea/ cacao, while with the Fosters Can one is sufficient - the LiteTrail one is in-between - it could be enough for drink & food, or you might need to cook water twice.

With a 14 g Esbit tablet burning between 10 and 15 minutes, it has been enough for me to boil two servings of water on the smaller pots, or one Fosters can.

Accessoires

The stove setups above aren’t everything you’ll need, so lets take a brief look at the other stuff:

• 18 g Foldable Spork
  
• 08 g Lite Trail Short Ti Spoon
  
• 12 g Long handled Ti Spoon/ Ti Spork
  
• 11 g Mini Bic lighter
  
• 06 g Matches
  

I eat from my cup/ pot or the freezer bag/ Ziploc directly, and also drink from it if I don’t take my Kuksa. It means if you want to eat from the cup you can’t drink a coffee from it at the same time, but with a bit of planning and thinking I’m sure you’ll cope. Or you take an extra cup =) A spoon, aka the-most-forgotten-backpacking-item-EVER is quite useful to eat, stir food and drinks, or even function as a pot handle. A lighter or matches make putting a Esbit tablet on a lot easier, apparently one could do it even with a firesteel (shaving a few bits of a corner and trying to ignite them) though if I use Esbit I do prefer one of the easy fire sources. The Foldable Spork is a great piece of kit because its a) a good length to eat from freezer bags and b) it folds so small that it fits in every of the above system - that minimizes the risk of going out without a spork!

The End (is near)

As you can see, an Esbit stove setup allows you to go ultralight - or even SUL - with ease. It’s a very convenient fuel source, and despite some of its criticisms - some find it smells fishy, it can leave sticky residues on the pot, a bit of garbage from the tablets packaging - I think it is a superb way of cooking/ heating up water on the trail. The fuel is reasonably priced - Esbit tablets cost between 4€ and $7 depending where you buy for twelve tabs - that’s an average price of $0.45 per tablet/ 1 l of hot water.

Which SUL system to get? That’s a good question. You could go the MYOG route and pick the different components on your own to suit your specific needs. It shouldn’t be difficult to create a system that relies on an Esbit stove to stay under 100 gram total weight, but you most likely pay in that case also around $1 or more per gram. If the complete system route is what you’re after, get either the Lite Trail Titanium Solid Fuel Cook System or the Trail Designs Caldera Keg-GVP Stove System. The former has the benefit that you can use the pot also over a wood fire and it’s very durable, while the latter is lighter and larger volumne. The Sidewinder for the 400 ml cup is a combined solution of these two, btw.

You’re Esbit-curious but don’t know if it’s for you? Get a Ti-Wing Stove or make your own, add a box of Esbit tabs and you’re set. This you can try with existing pots and cups, and see how it works for you. Another alternative is a Trail Designs Sidewinder system in which you can try Esbit, but also alcohol and wood - that way you’re not “locked in” in case you find Esbit is just not your cup of tea.

After seeing how easy and convenient Esbit is, I’m giving it again a try. I love the tiny packsize of the whole system, the ease of use, and the simplicity. If you’re tired of hearing a noisy canister stove, leaking alcohol bottles, or that you smell like a wood fire, give Esbit a try.

More photos of all stoves in different configurations.

Need more™ Esbit still?

Brian really wants to like Esbit and has a MYOG tutorial on how to make a wicked light Esbit tray stove. Chad discusses his SUL cook kit, John takes a look at the 2013 Lite Trail stove system, Tatsuya has a very detailed post on his Esbit/ wood stove system, and the mother of all goodness is of course the Esbit homepage. Ich habe fertig.

_{^{* There’s nothing wrong with Trangias. They are just heavy =)}}

News

”Why is the lay public obsessed with a bunch of rich wankers plodding up Everest?” - Jim Donini, Ascent 2013

The GoLite Shangria-La 2,3 and 5 are available again! They’re classic, proven shelters and now available for a very good price!

Check out the Beginners Guide to Rock Climbing.

The packrafting-store.de guys & girls were on the MDR BIWAK TV Series - you can watch it online there, too!

A quick update from Sean at OookWorks.

Girl Crush of the Month: Matilda Söderlund.

Wayfinding in a Liveable City.

Cass wants you to sign the Get Britain Cycling petition!

ULA Equipment now has their packs available in a new colour - and if you order one of their packs you also can get their 20° Down Bag for a reduced price!

There are still free spots on my Packrafting & Ultralight Backpacking Courses. Want to join? Enroll now!

Trip Reports

Tomáš heads out for an overnighter to Brdy.

Mark finds a pot of gold at the end of a hike.

Big Sur Coast.

Jill is over the slump.

Bikepacking Europe. Nick is on the fietspad through Europe.

Forrest explores Pine Creek Canyon, Zion National Park.

屋久島.

Fraser wears short sleeves in the Storm Clouds, a fine bikepacking TR.

Ally heads for a swim on the Blanc.

Chris, Alton and Cole hike up Mount Major.

Kangaroo Island.

Everyone can go hiking when the sun shines, a report from the Bergfreunde Blogger Meet-up.

Ben goes for a walk in the woods, Shenandoah National Park to be correct.

It’s Spring, as Mike reports.

Havasupai, Grand Canyon: Bench Trail, Mines, and Exit.

Maria heads out for a Torronsuo overnighter.

Roger reports about Bridges and Boardwalks on the Coast to Coast Sweden.

Gear Deals & Reviews

Affiliate Links: Buy via these links and I earn a small commission, without any extra costs to you. Alternatively you can buy me a coffee or two if you enjoyed TWIR.

Looking for outdoor gear for your kids? Bergzeit has you covered - from small backpacks over clothes to sunglasses and their first knife, you can get it all.

Kahtoola MICROspikes on sale at The Outdoor Warehouse - just £40!

Get a free Klymit XLITE Pad with the purchase of any XL Pad - that’s two pads for the price of one! Coupon Code: XLITE.

Looking for an around-town pack that also can function as a SUL pack? Then take a look at the Hyperlite Mountain Geat Summit Pack.

Want to build a Trad Rack™? Backcountry.com has a wide selection of climbing gear and has free 2-Day Shipping on orders over $50.

Score some 50% OFF on Outdoor Gear & Clothing at the REI-OUTLET!

Buy Bergfreunde gear - Crash Pads, Quick draws, Fingerboards and more - and get a Climb On creme for free on top!

Derek discusses Knots vs. Hardware.

Jens looks at iPhone Apps and accessoires.

Brawny’s CDT Gear choices.

Chad is packing his gear for the Foothills Trail and takes with him…

$9.92 Wal-Mart Wide-Brimmed Hat.

Follow HiF on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter for up-to-date info on gear, trip reports, and interesting articles.

Disclaimer: Climbing is immense fun. It’s a great exercise for the body and mind, and a superb reason to go and see new places and climb there. Sure, you could fall down, break a leg, or die. But that can happen just as well in the city. So go out and climb!

Books, the old media, are still a great way to learn about climbing, to deepen you knowledge, and use as a reference. There’s plenty of good books and some more. I also find magazines very inspirational - less maybe for techniques, but more so for destinations and stories, and can highly recommend you to subscribe to Alpinist, Rock & Ice and Climb. But what they lack is the possibility to show you in a fluid motion how to for example set up an anchor, use a rappel device correctly and many more things, which are just easier to understand when seen in motion.

Now you always should try to meet local climbers who could teach you, join your local climbing club, or visit a course at your gym so that an expert can show you all those very important things. In Finland for example SKIL will help you find these people, while in Germany the DAV will be the best source to gain information.

But until you’re able to visit a rock climbing course, there happily is the internet. More specifically, Vimeo and Youtube. Besides a whole host of inspirational videos of gorgeous places, interviews and product demonstrations there’s also a very good selection of technique videos. Underneath you will find a very good selection of these videos - from Beginner to Advanced, you surely will learn something from these even if you have been climbing for years!

Rock Climbing Basics 1: Tying in with a Figure 8
Rock Climbing Basics 2: Top rope belaying

Rock Climbing Basics 4: Tying a Figure 8 ‘on the bight’ and Clove hitch
Rock Climbing Basics 5: Clipping a quickdraw
Rock Climbing Basics 6: How to place and remove nuts
Rock Climbing Basics 7: Cleaning a Sport Anchor
Rock Climbing Basics 8: Placing and cleaning Friends
Rock Climbing Basics 9: Extending a Rappel
Rock Climbing Basics 10: Stick Clipping
Rock Climbing Basics 11: How to coil a rope
Rock Climbing Basics 12: Knots for Rappelling

Crack School - Episode 2 - Hand Cracks
Crack School - Episode 3 - Fist Cracks
Crack School - Episode 4 - Offwidth Cracks
Crack School - Episode 5 - Gear and Gear Placement
Crack School - Episode 6 - Taping

Fingerboard Basics
Advanced Fingerboarding

The Essentials of Climbing: How To Use Climbing Chalk
The Essentials of Climbing: Let’s Talk About Smearing
The Essentials of Climbing: Edging

Know more videos? Share them in the comments!

Climbing gear? First try the gear at your rock climbing course or ask your climbing mates, then get your own at Bergzeit, Backcountry.com, Bergfreunde, Camu.fi, REI.com and CampSaver.com.

Courses

There’s three courses available at the moment: An introduction to packrafting course and two ultralight backpacking courses. The basics course is for beginners and people who would like to learn about lightweight gear, while the immersion course is for intermediate and advanced backpackers in which you’ll deepen your knowledge and experience some of the most rugged and beautiful wilderness the North has to offer.

Introduction to packrafting

If you’d like to add a new way to enjoy the outdoors to your toolkit, then the packrafting course is for you. We head to Ruunaa, the Finnish Mecca of white water sports. But before we head down the rapids, you learn on the dry and a lake how to paddle in a packraft. All the needed gear - a PFD, paddle and Packraft - are included in the course, and we’ll also talk about combining it with lightweight gear for your future trips. After this course you will feel confident to paddle in a packraft and will see water elements on maps as a new way to experience the outdoors.

Ultralight Backpacking Basics

This is the course for those who want to learn how to lighten up. Lightweight backpacking allows you to enjoy more of the trail and nature around you, see more, feel better, hike further and be closer to the outdoors. Less weight on your shoulders means more fun while hiking, but we don’t forgo comfort and safety - you will eat & sleep well, forgo blisters and learn to navigate off-trail.

If you’re coming from outside Finland the Nuuksio & Seitseminen courses are a good choice for you - you can fly directly to Helsinki or Tampere respectively and reach the destinations very easily by public transportation from there.

Ultralight Backpacking Immersions

You want to see the wildest corners of Finland, climb the highest mountains, tenkara fly-fish in wild lakes and rivers and see reindeer passing by? On the two Immersion courses this will be possible. You’ll deepen you knowledge of lightweight gear, see that also on fjell tops a tarp can be a comfortable shelter, learn to cook over fire and wade through rivers. This trip is for those of you who want to experience the wildest corners the North of Finland has to offer and gather the experience for your own long trips.

What else?

All trips come with an extensive pre-tour consultation in which we discuss gear, food, the destination, transportation and related topics. Food - breakfasts and dinners - are included in the price, as are access to the Ultralight A-Z series, as well as help and advice if you want to spend more time before/ after the course in Finland. You’ll have a direct connection to me so I can answer your questions about the trips, gear and ultralight backpacking.

Also, I speak German, Dutch, English, Spanish and Finnish fluently, so our trip can be in any of these languages - though in mixed language groups we’ll speak English.

Gear Discounts

I’m very happy to be able to offer you discounts from several high-quality cottage manufacturers and webshops. You’ll be able to get

• 15% off from Hyperlite Mountain Gear products
• 10% off from YAMA Mountain Gear products
• 10% off from Mountain Laurel Designs products
• 10% off from a Gossamer Gear backpack
• 10% off from enLIGHTened equipment quilts
• 10% off from your Trekking-Lite-Store.com order
• 5% off from your LAUFBURSCHE Gear order

So if you’re in the market for a new backpack or shelter, a quilt or other lightweight gear & accessories - going on a trip with me helps you to safe money on buying some of the best gear available. And because we discuss gear requirement before and during the trip, I can help you to buy the best piece of equipment for your needs.

Not all gear? No Problem!

I have a wide selection of shelters, backpacks, quilts, mats and stoves available for loan - free of charge for participants. Because I understand that you might first want to try a backpack or tarp, or see if sleeping under a quilt is for you I offer the possibility to try lightweight gear on our trip. And then afterwards you can buy the piece of kit with the nice discount you got from participating in the course - a win-win situation!

Enroll!

Spaces are limited and courses are already slowly filling up. If you want to experience the beautiful Nordic wilderness and want to learn new skills, now is the right time to sign up for a course. You can read more about prices, discounts and registration here or head straight to the registration form to enroll. If you have questions, I happily answer them via Email.

News

Registration for packrafting & ultralight courses and trips are open, enroll today!

Tent topographics - a new way to measure space in tents.

Jens ponders if social media and the internet make hiking clubs superfluous.

The new lightest Bug Bivy: 87 gram. Combine it with a ZPacks Hexamid Pocket Tarp (113 gram) for a 200 gram shelter. And your wallet will be around $400 lighter, too!

Meet Earl, a revolutionary tablet engineered for the most extreme of outdoor situations.

Devin has a mountain of new tools.

Part I of my Trad Rack™ arrived: A set of DMM Dragon Cams from Bergzeit. Still missing: Wallnuts, Torque Nuts, Nutbuster and Demon Cams. Yes, you could say I’m going the Made in Wales by DMM way.

The origins of alpinism.

South Finland has a new Boulder Guide.

Ethical Trekking.

Chris writes on Backpacking & Wilderness.

Brian shares his four favourite Bushcraft and/ or Camping items.

Trip Reports

Gustav heads out for some Igloo camping.

Greg makes it to the summit of Mount Alexander.

A Cambrian Way Status Report.

It’s almost winter in the south.

Nick heads out for an Ardgour Adventure.

Dave heads A Little Further West into Jamtland.

Dirt Roading in the Bay Area, CA.

Darren visits the Thurat Spires.

A highlight like each of their updates from Patagonia: Un paseo otoñal entre la roca, el hielo y la lenga.

Also not to be missed: Forrest’s visit to Buckskin Gulch, Utah.

Nick arrived in Europe and is cycling southward from Amsterdam.

Jun goes for a hike in Yakushima.

Gear Reviews & Deals

Affiliate Links: Buy via these links and I earn a small commission, without any extra costs to you. Alternatively you can buy me a coffee or two if you enjoyed TWIR.

The Therm-A-Rest 40th Anniversary Edition sleeping pad is 20% off at Bergzeit.

GoLite Shangria-La 3 & 5 are back in stock - grab one while they last!

Need a lightweight, durable backpack for your next trip? Have a look at the ULA Equipment Ohm 2.0 which ticks all these boxes.

Looking for a new way to stay fit this summer? Try slacklining! You only need two trees and a slackline - and the AustriAlpin jumpLine Slackline Set is on sale at the moment for only 60€!

You still can get a FREE Cush pillow with Purchase of any KLYMIT Full size Sleeping Pad.

Up to 60% off The North Face at Backcountry.com.

At GearTrade.com you can buy gear for low prices and sell your own gear for cash!

Laufbursche Gear HuckePäckchen reviewed.

Luna Sandals Mono.

Jake wrote a Long Term Review of the Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti-Tri w/ Inferno.

Peter ponders about compact cameras.

Dave on the applicability of the Alpacka Scout.

And don’t miss Mark’s Ultralight Makeover Redux Series: Part 11 - Go Smart Tech.

We arrived after a 45 minute ride from Vaasa at the parking lot in Svedjehamn, and while we hoped that our son would continue his afternoon nap which he started in the car he was wide awake as I took him on my back in the Manduca child carrier. This might proof interesting we thought, but our worries were unfounded as E enjoyed being outdoors and didn’t complain or cry even once on our hike.

Already from the parking lot we were able to see an White-Tailed Eagle flying in circles high above us, and I quickly grabbed my Vortex binoculars to get a closer look. M also wanted a view, so I handed her the binos and walked on. The Bodvattnet Runt is a 4 km long nature trail and runs around lagoon which is connected to the Baltic. Many fish use it to lay its eggs there, and hence it is also popular with the local bird population. At the beginning of April there weren’t that many there yet, though, as also the lagoon was still covered under thick ice.

We walked on a well worn trail on the snow, and only meet two small groups of other hikers until we would reach the bird watching tower later on. The trail weaved in and out of birch and spruce forests, and led up to a small ridge from where we had a fine view over the lagoon. In times past fishermen were starting their trips from here, but with the land rising (the Kvarken Archipelago rises about 1 cm each year) now their sheds were standing far from the water and only had historical value. They are beautiful: The weathered wood is gorgeous to look at, the old nets still intact and the lovely little details are signs which one doesn’t find often on modern buildings.

We continue along the ridge which brings us down into another birch & spruce forest. They were building new trails, and a lot of gravel was strewn over the future trail. In the forest we spotted a tree which is used by a woodpecker puts cones and from where he eats the seeds hidden in it - broken cones were littering the base of the tree, so it has seen much use recently. The trail again lead up to a ridge, out of the dense trees, and we now could see the Baltic Sea on our left.

We made our way to the bird watching tower, a beautiful structure which fits, despite its modern appearances, well into the landscape. Made entirely of wood, it rises high above the surrounding landscape and one can see far - back till Vaasa, even. The binos came back out and we were looking for birds, and spotted a few ice fisherman sitting further out between the rising land.

Back down I got a few snacks and a Thermos out of the Berghaus Octans 40 M was carrying. E was running around and exploring the surroundings, he really enjoys to be outside and a wide smile was on his face, each new discovery confirmed by a loud shriek and a smile in our direction. M and me enjoyed some chocolate bars and coffee, E came back once in a while to get one of his favourite cookies and then was again running around.

We packed up, I took E on my back again and we set off for the last few hundred meters to the parking lot. We passed the harbour now, which with its worn and weather-beaten piers and red boathouses makes for nice return to “civilisation”. In the summer one of the red buildings functions as a Café, and I’m sure we will visit it the next time one of our family hikes takes us here - there’s no better way than to finish a hike with a good cup of coffee and a nice piece of cake =)

More photos on Flickr.

© bmp

Patagonia Men’s Capilene 1 Silkweight T-Shirt

Size: M | Weight: 94 g | Material: 100% Polyester

If you look for the lightest shirt with the best environmental credentials and great looks, then you won’t need to look further than the Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight T-Shirts. I love mine and its probably my most-worn shirt if I hit the trail. It dries in mere minutes in the sun, the funk (that’s informal American English for smelly) is minimal and 15-UPF sun protection keeps you from burning (although it could be more). It’s surprisingly durable for being so light, climbing and bushwacking didn’t pull a single thread from it, and it’s been in use since two years already. It feels very good on the skin and you’ll look good with this shirt on the trail as well as walking the dog in town. My go-to shirt, if it’s not in the wash!

Bergzeit | Bergfreunde | Patagonia | Backcountry | REI | CampSaver

Arc’teryx Ether Crew SS

Size: S | Weight: 108 g |  Material: 100% Polyester

This shirt has been updated since I got it (it’s the problem of testing gear long-term, ya see!) and now sports mesh underarm panels, which does seem like a very nice improvement. However, my “old” shirt is still looking good as it is quite durable. It’s a good looking shirt, though after a few days wearing it on the trail it needs a wash as the guff (that’s informal Scottish for smelly) is tangible. It’s UPF Rating of 50+ keeps your skin aristocratic white, while the flatlocked seams add much comfort to the wearing experience. The fabric comes in a bunch of nice colours, and once you’ve hiked up a mountain in 35°C and the shirt is drenched in your sweat the fabric’s quick-drying capabilities will kick in and you’ll have a dry shirt in no time (well, maybe about 10 to 15 minutes).

Backcountry | Bergfreunde

Rab MeCo 120 Tee

Size: S | Weight: 111 g |  Material: 65% Merino, 35% Cocona

A shirt made of ethically sourced Australian Merino wool and recycled polyester with Cocona technology which has gotten a lot of positive reviews. I have found them great shirts, the 120g/m² fabric is light and dries very fast, rivalling the synthetic shirts above. They do pill a bit, but it’s just a cosmetic thing and doesn’t affect it’s durability. Speaking off, I used mine for climbing, hiking, cycling and everyday use for over 12 months, and they still look great. The reflective details are a nice touch which cyclists and pedestrians will appreciate, and the flatlock seams make them comfortable to wear. They also do not easily smell, I can wear mine for five days and more and they still don’t reek. If you’re looking for the best of both worlds - that’s merino & synthetic combined - then you’ve found it with Rab’s MeCo garments. Here’s more info on Cocona if you’re of the curious kind.

Backcountry | Rab | Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Rab MeCo 120 LS Tee

Size: S | Weight: 148 g |  Material: 65% Merino, 35% Cocona

The same material and properties than the Rab MeCo 120 Tee above, I have used this longsleeve on colder days in spring and autumn, and as a layering piece in winter. Because it dries so fast it is in winter quite nice to wear, but not on its own - an Aclima Woolnet longsleeve underneath it is a great combination. Also for summer use, if you want to protect your arms a bit more from the sun or easily get cold in a stiff breeze, this longsleeve fits the bill.

Backcountry | Rab | Ultralight Outdoor Gear

icebreaker Tech T Lite Short Sleeve Lancewood

Size: S | Weight: 138 g |  Material: 100% Merino

It’s a fancy name, but then it’s a fancy shirt as well! The only 100% Merino summer shirt in my closet at the moment, this is a great T-shirt in so many respects: Even after a week on the trail it doesn’t reek (maybe just a tiny bit), it dries reasonably fast (slower than the synthetic shirts, though), it’s very comfortable on the skin and it too looks superb. Where the synthetic shirts dry fast, the Merino one needs a bit longer to get dry, though that also can be a benefit if you’re hiking in sweltering heat - in that case the shirt provides a bit more cooling. If you’re hiking on a trail where you’ll be in the company of a lot of other people (staying in huts, for example) this one might be your best choice - you’ll smell less and look good =)

icebreaker | Bergfreunde | Backcountry | CampSaver | Bergzeit

Of course these aren’t all lightweight shirts that are available. You can get good shirts from Chocolate Fish, The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research (which also make Insect Shield shirts!), Salomon, Marmot and many more.

News

A great newsletter from Tenkara USA full of great and inspiring videos.

Wilderness Threadworks is the 2nd Australian ultralight cottage manufacturer I know of, they make nice silnylon and cuben tarps & a 214 g bivy. Great name, too - so check them out!

A 113 g down vest with a water resistant outer, and half of the weight is down? Enter the Black Rock Vest - but be quick if you want one, they’re very limited indeed!

Trekking-Lite-Store.com has reduced the shipping costs, and Dutch clients even will pay only half of what they have paid previously!

Get a free Kindle version of Keith Foskett’s book ”The Last Englishman” this weekend!

Also Alex Roddie’s book ”The Only Genuine Jones” is on sale for the Kindle right now, and costs just £0.79!

Speaking of books: Chris Townsend’s next book will be about the The Pacific Crest Trail and will be called Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles. I’m looking very much forward to this book, as it surely will be as inspiring as Chris other books!

Don shares his Moments from the 5 Point Film Festival.

Colin sets out for the PCT. All the best and happy trails!

Want a Surly Pugsley? There’s one for sale in Albuquerque, NM for a very good price.

Outdoor-Spirit Podcast #9 is out, and includes a lot of Gear Talk.

Ross on The Modern Woodsman.

Fire Safety – Alcohol vs. Esbit.

Trip Reports

Peter takes his sons for a spring overnighter.

Katie shares her experiences from the 2013 Alaska Wilderness Classic in photos and words. If you find that interesting, then definitely read Luc Mehl’s account, too. You might even spot a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultra Mid.

Jake is up in the snow.

日光白根山スノーハイク 2 - a snowy Japanese backpacking trip report.

Moab 10: Slickrock, the return.

Erika hikes, cycles and climbs the most difficult summit of the Allgäu.

Willem backpacks through the wild hearth of Scandinavia.

Full of superb photos and humour is Greg’s Beeripmo Walk up to Mt. Buangor.

Gorgeous coastal wildflower displays on Post Summit & East Molera Ridge.

Al heads out for a Bikepack to Black Crag

Santa Cruz Backpack.

Rick reports from the ADZPCTKO 2013.

Tanzawa night traverse - 60km during the dark mountains.

Peter on the CDT – Deming to Emory Pass.

Liathach winter traverse.

Gear Reviews & Deals

Casey shares his knowledge about his Lightweight Video Kit.

Scarpa Rebel Ultra reviewed.

SealSkinz Mid Weight Knee Length Socks reviewed.

Jacks “R” Better Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock reviewed.

Julbo Bivouak Spectron 4 reviewed.

Chad talks stoves and pots in his TD Sidewinder Caldera Cone & the 0.9L Evernew “UL” Ti Cook Pot post.

Angelica reviews the Haglöfs Pelamis Q Jacket.

Affiliate Links: Buy via these links and I earn a small commission, without any extra costs to you. Alternatively you can buy me a coffee or two if you enjoyed TWIR.

Black Diamond Distance Trekking poles are on sale for 59€ at Bergzeit .

If you travel by plane with your lightweight gear, a duffel is useful to protect it from the rough handling at airports. The North Face Base Camp Duffel Bag is s great duffel bag for that purpose: alpine-cut shoulder straps for comfortable carrying, lots of volume, very durable and comes in great colours. Best of all, it’s on Sale at Backcountry.com for only $60!

Want to start trailrunning now that the snow is gone? Then get your running clothing at REI.com. Added benefit: Those miles on the trail when backpacking will just fly by!

Get 10% off KLYMIT Outdoor Essentials - Just enter 10% OFF at checkout and save on KLYMIT Sleeping Pads, Jackets, Packs, and MORE! Coupon Code: 10% OFF.

Vests are great layering pieces for the coming seasons - and Bergfreunde have nine great vests on sale.

Want to try Via-Ferrata this season? The Bergzeit Via-Ferrata Configurator allows you to put together a set consiting of helmet, harness and a Via-Ferrata set with great discounts - the most affordable option starts at 89€!

The new GoLite Tents & Shelters are here - Go Ultralight Today!

Save 50% on Over 18,000 Outdoor Gear Products + Free Shipping at GearTrade.com.

Boulder Season is here! With the Ocun Paddy Kava V2 Bergfreunde.de Edition you’re landings will be soft and comfortable - and at only 120€ it’s also light on your wallet!

The OMM and Westcomb hardshells are on sale at outdoorline.sk.

If you’re looking for a skirt for your outdoor adventures, then have a look at the Patagonia Womens Solimar Skirt - lightweight, DWR impregnation and only 40€ at Unterwegs.biz!

With so many superb entries to the 1st Trip Report Contest I’ll be running a 2nd one.

Right now!

BANG.

Thank you, thank you. Please sit down again and let me finish.

Yes, also you there can stop clapping now.

Thanks to the support of Gossamer Gear, you’ll be able to win their sweet Kumo backpack, in your size, sent to you from Gossamer Gear directly. Ryan has a long-term review up on his blog, which will show you what this lightweight backpack is capable of.

Ok now, please let me finish.

© Gossamer Gear

This wouldn’t be a Trip Report Contest if you wouldn’t need to go on a trip. You have till the 26th of May 2013 to head outdoors and then to write a Trip Report on your website/ blog/ or similar digital outlet. But that ain’t all.

As the Kumo is dedicated to the Japanese fans and friends of Gossamer Gear, you need to include an 俳句 in it. If you follow the traditional or modern Japanese haiku format is up to you in this case. It would be cool if you can make your haiku an executive summary of your trip, but for the poetically challenged we’ll also accept haikus which are just related to your trip =) But no haiku, no entry.

To enter, leave a comment with a link to your TR underneath (Please only submit ONE link, to ONE trip report). The TR should be from a 2013 hiking/ climbing/ backpacking/ packrafting/ mountaineering trip, and it can be a day hike, overnighter, weekender, expedition or thru-hike, and needs to be by fair means (so non-motorized). It can be text, video, photographs or a combination thereof.

In the week after the 26th of May there will be a post in which I nominate the three to five trip reports I like best, and then you - the awesome readers! - will have the final vote for the winner.

Oh, I almost forgot.

The winner of the first Trip Report Contest is, with 38,8% of the 129 votes given, Dr Jon and his S240 Trip Report. Congratulations! Please Email me so I can get your address and send your price to you!

I kissed my wife and son Good Night, grabbed my ready-packed Hyperlite Mountain Gear Porter, skis attached to it, and walked the two kilometres to the nearby recreation area, Pilvilampi. The sun was just disappearing behind the trees as I arrived on skis at the frozen lake. I wanted to ski for some three to four kilometres to the other end of the lake, and pitch my shelter over there.

There are tracks on the lake, but we already had a wonderfully warm March and so much of the ice was in less-than-perfect skiing conditions. But my Madshus Glittertind MGV+ had good grip, and after a quick decision I just left the rubbish tracks behind and made my own ones.

It didn’t take me long to arrive at the place I wanted to pitch, and the Hilleberg Anjan 2 I loaned from a friend came out. I practiced pitching it a few times before, so it was quickly up and ready. The thermometer was wandering in the direction of -10°C, and I enjoyed the evening, with the stars coming out, the sun fading away far in the west, and some Whopper Swans arriving from their winter quarters with their loud calls.

I took a few fun photos, and then heated up some water with the MSR Reactor 1.0 l for a late night hot chocolate. Even at -11°C it had the half litre of water boiling in less than three minutes, and inner warmth soon returned. Donning the Rab Infinity Endurance down jacket I enjoyed the gorgeous night sky a bit more, knowing that soon the stars won’t be seen for the lack of darkness that we have here during the summer in the far north. Even if I planned to go to sleep early, it was past 23 o’clock as I crept into my quilt.

Sonic Boom. Well, not quite. But minutes after I was tucked in, the ice decided to start it’s concert of booms and creaks. The mind plays funny things at those moments, and so I was wondering if I’ll be able to get out of the tent in case the ice under me should collapse and I’m engulfed by freezing cold water. Then the other side of the brain told me that I need not worry, as I’m either way camped close to a small island and hence the water couldn’t be deep under me. And either way, the ice is still over 20cm thick. So the concert continued throughout the night, and I drifted in and out of sleep. A loud boom had me sitting almost upright in the tent, and I welcomed the first rays of sunlight close to 7 o’clock.

There was a bit of hoarfrost on my gear.

I melted a bit of snow, put on my NeoShell Westcomb Switch LT Hoody and enjoyed the scenery with a cup of coffee in hand. A man who was well in is sixties skied past by me at 7.30 o’clock, at a speed which would have me made him guess 40 years younger. He looked surprised, as did I. A quick lap before work, to stay healthy. That’s the Nordic way.

Then it was time to pack. The tent was rolled up and put back in its stuff sack, gear found it’s way into the HMG Porter, I switched from my wonderful Mukluks into the skiing boots, stepped into the bindings and skied off towards civilization. The improvised skiing poles I left at the trail head, and was in time for a second coffee at home, having enjoyed the last cold night of winter before the snow and ice melted away just days later.

Nothing is Free

We happily are reaching a time where people are realising that free on the internet comes at a cost. With Google, Facebook and the like that cost means that your data is sold to advertisers, and that these companies, whose services you’re using for free can do with your content on their platforms almost as they see fit. Yes, you have some rights, but they seem to be getting less and less. While your website or blog might just be a hobby in which you chronicle your outdoor adventures (insert other pastime which people write online about), or if it is more, like your online business card that you use to attract clients, I wouldn’t want that another company has control over it. That was one of the reasons why I switched last year to Octopress.

Whenever possible I try to pay for a service I use. As a paying client you have more rights than someone who is using a service for free. I pay for all my URLs, I pay for my GoSquared Analytics, I pay for Flickr where I host my photos, I paid for the Text Editors which I use to write my articles, I paid for the RSS Reeder I use to read all my subscriptions (and will pay for feedbin.me when I move away from Google Reader soon), I pay for Vimeo where I host my videos, I paid for the different software programmes I use to edit videos and photos, and while my Github hosting is free I’d pay for it in a second (I bought some T-Shirts to support them in another way). Also Octopress is free, but again, I’d happily pay for it or will buy some swag/ tip the creator when these options become available. Services that I use for the site, but don’t pay for, are Disqus for comments and Cloudflare for security, as my site is too small to pay for these two just yet. If you pay for a service, you have rights. You can complain if something doesn’t work, you reward the people who spent weeks of their life to create the service you use, you ensure future updates, bug fixes and improvements.

If you use something for free, you don’t have a right to complain about it. So while some blogging platforms are free, if the company owning them decides to shut them down or use your content in another way than you intended, because you use the service for free you have little reason to complain about it - after all, you did not pay for it. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before.

Right. Now we can look at the two tools which you’ll need to start blogging from any device while owning your content all the time.

Photo by zzpza

Dropbox

Dropbox is a superb service. Basically it is a hard drive that’s in the cloud and which you can access from everywhere - your smartphone, tablet, own laptop or a computer at the public library. The basic account is free and gives you 2 GB space, which is plenty if you only store text files on it. I have a Premium account with a bit more space, and I save all my blogging related data in a folder on it. It’s a superb service you should use, even if you’re not blogging.

Markdown

Markdown ”is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers. Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML).” I write all my posts in Markdown. It is indeed a lot easier than writing in HTML (which I can do, but I find it more suitable for coding than for writing content) and thus is likely for those who find HTML tags et al. confusing a far superior solution. If you can type on a computer, then you can write in Markdown.

However, you might need a new Text Editor which allows you to save your texts in Markdown - I use Sublime Text 2 which has a free evaluation copy, and iWriter which costs about $5. Both are superb and I can highly recommend both. And here’s a Markdown cheat sheet to get you started.

These are all the tools you need to start blogging on one of the following platforms. Let’s have a look at the options.

Dropbox Based Blogs

I think I made that term up, but it describes the underlying principle very well: You write your posts in Markdown, save them in a folder on your Dropbox, and then depending on the service you either need to refresh your blog or need to do nothing at all for the new post to appear online. You can write and post your Dropbox based blog from your computer, tablet or smartphone - just make sure that the Text Editor you’re using saves your posts in your Dropbox folder in Markdown format. It’s super simple, and because you save your content in your Dropbox, you own the content.

What follows are the six services I am aware of that offer these Dropbox Based Blogs.

Scriptogr.am

Scriptogr.am is made by a small Swedish team in Stockholm and was the first of the Dropbox Blogs that I became aware of. I run my personal blog on it and like it very much. It looks great on smartphone, tablets and computers, and is very easy to tweak if you don’t like the minimalistic look - you should be familiar with CSS and HTML in that case, though. It has no comments, but you can host it on your own url.

Calepin.co

Calepin.co has a few more features that scriptogr.am, namely Disqus comments, an RSS feed and can easily be linked to your Twitter account. You also can host it on your own url by entering your CNAME record. The service explains itself very well on its page, and is very open about its ambitions (namely they aim to make it a paid service in the future). Overall I think this might be the best option for many (outdoor) bloggers, as it allows comments, is responsive and integrates with Twitter. There’s a good guide, too.

Skrivr

Skrivr looks very good, is also responsive (so looks great on smartphones, tablets and computers), is Made in Sweden and it will be a Premium service when it launches. At the moment you need to ask for an invite to use the service. It automatically publishes content you save to its Dropbox folder, allows for own urls but seems to lack comments. Check out their blog to see how it looks, and request an invite if you like Skrivr.

Marquee

Marquee started as a Dropbox Based blog service but has evolved since. At the moment it’s invite only, and it looks like it will be a web based service (so you write and edit in your browser). It does look very nice - check the animation they have on their site if you’re interested - but I can’t say more about it at the moment.

Markbox

Markbox is the fifth option, and also looks superb. It publishes new content automatically, though you can hit “Publish” if you’re impatient. It has a responsive design and is Made in the USA.

GoDrop.it has closed, but since users had all their content on their Dropbox they could just sign up to one of the above services and continue blogging. Beautiful!

Exporting content

Good. I’m convinced. Where do I sign up? Great. If you want a fresh start and a new blog, just head to one of the services, link your Dropbox to it and start writing in Markdown. If you have been blogging for years and amassed hundreds of posts, exporting each manually is a lot of work. Help comes in the form of migration tools. You’ll need to get a bit techy or ask a computer savvy mate to help you out (take him for an ultralight hike with Pizza & Beers afterwards as a Thank You!). If you want to move from WP to Calepin that’s a good read, as is this one. Don’t worry, this is the only ”difficult” part of moving away from Blogger and Wordpress!

Importing content

If you have all your old posts saved to your hard drive in Markdown, you should check a few to see if everything got exported correctly. Especially if you have not embedded photos but uploaded them to WP or Blogger you’ll need to go back and add the photos I imagine - another reason to outsource that to a dedicated photo hosting service and to embed photos in the future!

So if everything looks good, you just copy and past the files into the posts folder in your Dropbox and then, depending on the service you chose, wait till they publish them automatically or go to your Dashboard and hit publish. Congratulations, you have now moved away from Wordpress or Blogger and own all your content! Happy blogging in Markdown =)

Liner Notes

• But Hendrik, some of those Dropbox Blogs are FREE! What now? Don’t despair. Some of the services have addressed this, and likely are going to offer paid versions in the future. In case you’re not willing to pay, moving away from one service to another one is easy because you own all your content in a very simple, open format (Markdown) so if one service disappoints you, you can move to the next one with only a few clicks.

• In case it all sounded like you’ll need to be a nerd, don’t worry. It’s easy as pie to start blogging in the above way, and in comparison to WP and Blogger there’s only benefits to using these platforms.

• I know there’s thousands of people who enjoy Wordpress and are very happy with it. Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org both have their place in blogging land, and if you’re with the former and pay you’re probably on good ground and know what you’re doing. I myself write on a few other sites via WP and while I still dislike it, it does the job. But I find php $!#% and hence rather wouldn’t want to work with it.

• As for Blogspot, with Google continuously shutting down services or integrating them with Google+ I imagine we might see the service being integrated with G+ at some point. This is pure speculation on my part, so don’t get hysterical just yet. Again, there’ thousands of great blogs on Blogspot, so if you feel good there, carry on.

• What all the platforms above have in common is that they are very minimalistic. There is usually no sidebar and pages, but an archive. I’m sure if you know HTML & CSS you’d be able to create these, or maybe they will be on the roadmap for the services in the future. But then that’s one of their charms: They’re simple, fast and the focus is on the content and not other stuff around it.

• I have used Blogger for years and found it good back then. With an increased interest in technology I started to find things which I didn’t appreciate, hence I moved to Octopress, which I find absolutely superb. The “Problem” with Blogger is at the moment that Google owns it, and hence they might decide to do something that’s more in line with their strategy. Just to recap: They shut down/ will be shutting down Feedburner and Google Reader in the next months, both services with millions of users and dearly loved by their users.

• I am and have been writing on Wordpress. There’s even a Markdown Plugin for Wordpress. But I find the backend editor just a pain to use, and php just sucks. If I can, I always avoid it.

• There’s lots of great looking and fast Blogger & Wordpress blogs out there. I read many of them. If you’re happy, and couldn’t care less who owns your content, just carry on.

• If you want to switch to one of the above services, don’t jump the ship and delete your old blog right away. Read the tutorials on how to set it up, test it, see how you like it, and if you find it good get all your content over to the new blog. If you run into problems, consult Google Search - chances are your problem has been encountered before, and hopefully solved as well.

Nothing is free. If you enjoyed this article you can buy me a coffee or two to ensure more quality content in the future.

Time

The Speedcross 3 have been used since July 2012, on the UL Summit in Slovenia, overnighters, cycling, and pretty much every day that “normal” shoes weren’t necessary. They’ve been walked in over 1000 km since (Moves App is wonderful!) and still have a bit of grip and use left in them.

Function

They’re trailrunning shoes. 90% of the time I use them for normal walking and hiking, though. They have a little bit more grip on wet rocks and muddy trails than wearing no shoes, are a little warmer in the snow, offer a little more protection against sharp stones, stinging insects and plants. If you are outdoors, shoes are a useful thing to wear, unless you’re a follower of the barefoot movement.

Features

• Quicklace system which lets you tighten the shoes via an innovative system, only one hand needed
• Lacepocket to store the Quicklace system
• Ortholite Sockliner
• Mudguard all around the shoe
• Anti-debris mesh on top
• Contragrip sole

Fit

The Quicklace closure is so excellent, that I used it exactly once: The day I put the shoes on for the first time. I like to wear my shoes a bit on the lose, so that they’re easy to slip in but still offer enough hold to run or scramble in. Other shoes with conventional laces I needed to re-tie every now and then, but the Speedcross 3s have been tightened once. I like that. Otherwise they’re a good fit for my feet: Nice tight in the heel, plenty of space for the toes and good support and hold in the middle.

Technical Innovations

The Quicklace system I’d need to mention here, at least I haven’t seen anything like it on other shoes before or after. The shoes have cleats which I haven’t seen used by other brands.

Quality

The Speedcross 3 are high quality shoes, just the fact that I have been walking well over 1000 km in them and they’re still in a good shape speaks for them. The mesh upper is still 100% fine, the cushioning still works well but the cleats start to get rather small as I use them a lot walking on streets.

Weight

The pair of them, in Size 42, weighs 614 g or 307 g per shoe. They’re not the lightest trailrunning shoes, but still are acceptable.

Sustainability & Recyclability

Salomon has an Environment page on their website. Information is brief, very brief: 91 words were spent on letting us know that the company want to reduce their CO2 Emissions, eliminate toxicity in their products and that they want to develop products and processes which are environmentally friendly throughout their life-cycle. How they think to go about that all, well, it’s a mystery (as is putting the dot at the beginning of their sentences).

Recyclability, either you drop them in a container where they collect old footwear, or drop them off at the shop you bought them. They’re made of oil-based materials and rubber, so don’t belong in the rubbish bin.

In use

The Speedcross 3 shoes have seen plenty of different terrain and usage: Fording rivers, climbing peaks, walking on rubble paths, muddy paths, tarmac, forest roads, cycling, running. In all of these situation I never felt like I’d like to be wearing another shoe - they’re great allrounders which suit a multitude of undergrounds and activities.

I was sceptical of the Quicklace system, though in case it didn’t become clear yet: I really like it. Being able to fasten my shoes once and then just slip in each day in the morning and slip out in the evening is very convenient. The small pocket which takes the closure mechanism does the job well, and it’s for people who don’t like tying their shoes or having their shoelaces come undone at the most unfortunate times a real solution. While I’m not sure if my next shoes will be Salomons, I am sure I will be missing the convenience of the Quicklace system.

The Speedcross 3 are almost 90 g heavier than the X-Talon 190s and I can feel the difference if I have one of each on my feet. They’re not uncomfortable heavy, though. They also have slightly more cushioning, which is OK. I need to pay more attention to walking ball first, though (I strike slightly behind the ball first when walking, when running more in the front). If you are aiming to strike with your fore-foot first, then the Speedcross 3 are OK but shoes with less cushioning could be preferable.

The shoes dry reasonably fast. Because they have a bit of insulation - it’s not just mesh like the X-Talon - they keep moisture longer than the aforementioned shoes, but in cold weather - I have been wearing the Speedcross 3 throughout winter - they are warmer. That’s probably also a reason why in very hot weather (over 20°C) I got slightly sweaty feet in the Speedcross 3, but overall they were a good mix of insulation, breathability and drying.

I climbed a 2569 m peak in the Alps in the Speedcross 3 and climbed/ scrambled an almost vertical section up with them. They were just fine, I wished more I would have a Via-Ferrata Set to clip myself in than other shoes. Doing over 2000 m of descent and ascent a day in them was no problem, either - lots of grip on all undergrounds was found, and no injuries were incurred, ever. The only surface where I thought they didn’t have 100% grip was on wet and slimy rocks, but then very few shoes have. The Contragrip sole is very nice, by the way, and really works very well - in undergrounds like mud and snow you’re not slipping in them when hiking/ running down or up.

Competing Products

Lots and lots of alternatives, some lighter, others with Gore-Tex or more insulation. Noteworthy are the inov-8 Roclite 295, La Sportiva Anakonda, New Balance MT10v2 Minimus, Montrail Bajada and Merrell Mix Master 2, amongst others.

What Others Say

Steve from Up To The Top rates them very high, as does Tom from iRunFar.com.

Bottomline

I have been a loyal Inov-8 user for many years, but last year decided to try the Salomon shoes. One of the reasons was that many mates on the Ultraleicht Trekking Forum have been speaking very positively about Salomon trailrunners for backpacking, and I was ready for something new.

The Salomon Speedcross 3 was a bit of a spontaneous buy, right before a major trip, but they have been nothing but splendid. I like the colour (and the shoes come in plenty of great colours!), the grip, the Quicklace system, the fit and and high quality. While they’re heavier than my X-Talon 190s they’re a lot more durable, which might be a good reason to get them if you want a shoe that lasts more than 500 km. I imagine if you use this shoe solely for hiking and trailrunning on trails, and walk little on streets, then you can make them last surely for 1500 km or more. All in all a great shoe, and I’m strongly considering to get a new pair - in another, cool colour =)

Ladies: There’s a female version of this shoe available, and also one with ClimaShield in case you want to use the shoes in winter.

More photos on Flickr.

Where to buy the Salomon Speedcross 3

Bergfreunde | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

In the next update

• Photo of the sole after all that walking on tarmac. The ContraGrip cleats are quite down already ^_^

_{^{Disclaiming the Disclaimer.}}

First: Thanks to all the participants. I enjoyed finding new websites and reading about all kind of adventures - from packrafting to bikepacking to winter hikes and skiing trips. There were videos, superb photos and great stories, and we spent a good deal of time to read them all and pick our favourites. So thank you to all who entered!

The following are the six trip reports which we liked best. They’re listed in no particular order, and you should read all six of them before casting your vote. They’re excellent stories of outdoor adventures, very nicely written and with great videos and photos.

Skiing The Last Best Lookout

Winter Fatbikepacking With a 9 Year Old

Israel National Trail thru-hike

S24O

Blue Bird Weekend in the Presidential Range

Big Mountain Days on Culra’s Sleeping Giants

Now that you’ve read them all, pick the ONE trip report which you liked best and vote for it [the voting tool might need a while to load, sorry. Please be patient =]:

Voting’s closed, winner will be announced soon.

That’s it! The voting is open till the Sunday, 28th of April and the winner will be announced next week! Good luck everyone =)

We took a left and were on forest road, passing fields and hay barns, until Minna parked the car and declared ”We’re here.” All four of us got out, grabbed our backpacks from the trunk and headed along towards the crag. It was the first time I was at Falkin Kallio in Ylistaro, and I immediately liked it: A nice short approach, and great routes for every taste. We put our harnesses and helmets on and then Mikko was off on a bolted route. Once up, he installed a top rope for Minna and me, while he and Outi practiced a few things further on the left.

Minna let me go first, and so I got my climbing shoes on, made my Figure 8 Knot, and got up on the rock. Yes, it was dry. But it also was cold. And there were no big jugs as easy holds like at the gym - small cracks, tiny crimps, and some slippery moss here instead. I slowly made my way up, remembering what I have learned in the past. I also wasn’t afraid to fail, because only when you fail, you get better. On the final few meters I burst out laughing: As I moved my foot over a ledge to get up the final few meters my leg started to shake rapidly. ”Elvis has entered the building” Mikko laughed after I told them. I took a small break, relaxed my arms, and then made the move without problems. The scariest part of any climb with a new person is for me the being let down part. ”Will they be able to hold me? How do I get over the ledge?” are the thoughts going through my head. I know I shouldn’t hold on to the rope, but it’s a reflex with each first abseil with a new person. But Minna let me down safe and comfortable, and I thanked her. Her turn, my belay.

We each climbed the route a couple of times, and then all four of us sat down for some coffee and snacks. More talks about cams and nuts, climbing destinations near and far, future climbing trips. Then we geared up, and tried a new route - a small crack running top to bottom. At the bottom water was running out of a crack, and I duly slipped. Minna caught me, and suggested I try the dry rock on the right. Much better. Crack climbing is utterly new to me, and it was immense fun. Fun now, that I think about it, but back there I was wondering how to get further up. Fingers jammed into cracks where I wondered what will happen to them if I now fall. I was halfway in a hard move as Minna informed me that the rope is stuck.

Exquisite. It’s the stuff you want to hear when your fingers are jammed in a crack and you’re trying to work out how to get further up. I looked up, and saw that the rope was twisted. ”Hold me” I told Minna, as I was untwisting the rope by crawling underneath it and stepping back over it. ”How is it now?” I inquired. ”Still stuck” came the reply. Just as well. ”I will go a bit further and see what’s the problem” I let her know, and after a bit of fresh chalk on my fingers I jammed my fingers back in that crack and pushed myself up. ”Stuck in a crack” I called down - ”Now is good again” came the reply. I finished the climb, sat down in my harness, hands by my side, while Minna expertly let me down.

After Minna did the crack route we headed a bit further along to a slab with a couple of bolts to practice lead climbing. With snow still at the bottom and plenty of moss on the rock it looked a bit sketchy, but it was nice and easy. Well-sized pockets made for good holds, and for me it was a great first experience at lead climbing. The kind of thing were you can get a taste for it, build up the skills and confidence, so that when the harder routes are to be lead you can look back and think ”Yeah, I can do this. And failing isn’t a problem, either.” We each lead the two different routes, before it was again coiling up the rope, getting into my approach shoes, packing up and heading back to the car.

Five fine outdoor climbs, the first of the season. New rocks, new routes, new friends, new experiences. This summer sure looks like it will be a lot of fun =)

Black Diamond Express Ice Screws

The Gold Standard in ice screws, the Black Diamond Express have the best price/ quality ratio and perform superbly on the ice. Easy to screw into the ice with one hand thanks to the crank and with to two carabiner holes to clip in, the Express ice screw helps you to secure yourself quickly when the going gets tough. Petzl will bring out a similar design next winter which performs very well, and Grivel’s 360 ice screws too is great. However, at the moment Black Diamond makes the lightest screws and they’re very well priced, thus these excellent ice screws shouldn’t be missing on any ice climbers rack.

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

Slings

Slings are an important piece of gear when climbing ice whenever you don’t toprope. A 120 cm sling is essential to build a belay station together with two ice screws, and a daisychain or another 120 cm sling are needed to secure yourself at a belay station. They also can be very useful when setting screws and taking care that the rope isn’t making a wide curve (Imagine it a bit like this sign < where the three points are ice screws and the line is the rope. With a sling and two ‘biners in the middle point you can make the rope run in a more straight line). Also when rappeling down slings come in handy, and they of course also can be used in rock climbing. A piece of gear that definitely needs to come along.

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

Quick draws

When you’re leading a climb you’ll need quick draws (Read Tomás superb article on Ultralight Quick Draws). As so often, lighter quick draws means you either can take more or then safe a substantial amount of weight for the same performance. Some clip in easier and are better handled with gloves, so keep that in mind when building your rack.

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

Carabiners

I thought I’d be set with my two DMM Phantom locking ‘biners, though I was wrong. And so I bought a few more locking carabiners, in slightly bigger sizes, because they’re easier to operate with gloves on. If you’re not toproping then a about five locking carabiners are good to have along: Three to set up a belay, one to clip yourself in with a sling, and one if you’re belaying someone else. A spare or two in these situations can’t hurt, either.

As for non-locking carabiners, I have been using the DMM Phantom gate ‘biner and still think they’re superb. The gate opens easy, they’re light yet strong - a great biner to have along to rack gear.

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

CAMP Speed helmet

I used the CAMP Speed helmet during all climbing, and really like the comfort of this helmet - light and protective, easy to adjust the size when I wear a beanie or not, not to hot nor too cold. I can wear shades or my googles underneath them, a Headlamp like the Petzl Nao fits easily on it, and it also fits under all my jacket’s hoods. However, with the new Black Diamond Vapor and Petzl Siricco helmets available, the Speed is no longer the lightest option, something too keep in mind when you’re buying a helmet (I used the Petzl Siricco and really like it, especially the magnetic closure that’s easy to operate with one hand is very good).

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | CampSaver

POC Iris 3P Googles

Because my helmet doesn’t have a visor to keep ice and water from flying in my face, I was wearing the comfortable POC Iris 3P Googles. They have a superb view and while they on occasion were fogging up, the fog cleared up quickly. I can wear them with my Speed Helmet without problems, but had problems to get a comfortable fit with the new Petzl Helmet. The googles’ lens are antiscratch and have a oleophobic & hydrophobic treatment which means it keeps fat and water off your lens very easily - a very welcome function when climbing ice where you sweat and ice is coming at you. A great pair of googles that I can recommend if you climb ice or ski.

JK-Shop | Backcountry

Petzl Reverso 4

I usually use a Petzl Verso, though enlightenment struck as I tried the Reverso 4. It’s only a tad heavier than the Verso but offers so much more functions: You can secure two climbers that are climbing after you, and connect it to your belay with the ring. As with the Verso, you can belay and rappel. When not toproping then definitely a piece of gear to take along.

There’s plenty of belaying devices around, though one to consider is the Mammut Smart Alpine which offers similar functionality as the Reverso though has the added benefit of breaking the rope dynamically in the case of a fall.

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

Tendon Master 9.7 rope

A superb rope for toproping, also on ice. It’s my rock-climbing rope which I diverted from its intended use to toproping on ice. Super smooth handling, light, great knot-ability, and with a middle marking, this is a great piece of kit which does the job very well.

For lead climbing on ice a twin or half rope is needed, though, and also there the market offers plenty of great ropes for us ice climbers. I used a BEAL rope which were very great to handle and didn’t soak out, and if you’re serious about ice climbing then you won’t get around getting a twin or half rope (Here’s an explanation on the difference!).

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

Arc’teryx R320 harness

The Arc’teryx R320 has been my harness of choice and I like the racking capacity it has - plenty of gear fits on the four gear loops. For ice climbing a Petzl Caritool or Black Diamond Ice Clipper would have been useful, though I made work without this season. It’s comfortable, the leg loops are big enough to step through in case you put on your crampons before your harness (happens!) and with it’s good design it feels well over pants and jacket. If one is serious about ice climbing, the Arc’teryx I340A of course would be a nice harness to have, though for the time being the R320 is very good for my needs and can be used all year around.

Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | Backcountry | CampSaver | REI

Black Diamond Ice Box

A backpack is the best way to get your gear from home to the ice fall. But what when between the ice fall and home there’s a airplane? Backpacks with the sharp tools outside aren’t great for travelling - enter the Black Diamond Ice Box. It fits four tools, one pair of crampons, up to ten ice screws, a mesh compartment for drying gear and still has plenty of space left for small stuff. For me very important too, is that its perfect to store the ice climbing gear safely and using minimal space at home, out of the reach of an exploring toddler. A great piece of kit for ice climbers that travel a lot and want to store their gear safely when not in use.

Bergfreunde | Backcountry | CampSaver

Most of the ice-climbing related gear has been used for a week of ice climbing this season. These short reviews thus should be considered as an initial review, which will be updated during the next winter season when I have used the gear more. If you have questions, please use the comments to ask!

Disclaiming the Disclaimer

Time

I have used the HMG IcePack for six days of ice climbing and dozens of days of walking, hiking and cycling. One of the ice climbing trips was even a fast & light trip, in which I was able to fit all my camping gear plus ice climbing gear in the pack! Overall I have used the IcePack well over a year.

Function

The IcePack allows you to carry all your ice climbing gear, and includes dedicated attachment possibilities for crampons, ice tools, and ropes. It also works very well for backpacking with camera gear, as the crampon attachment can hold a heavy tripod (mine is 2,5 kg) without problems, and the ice tool straps can hold trekking poles.

Features

• Exterior Dyneema patch with elastic straps for attaching crampons
• Two shock cord systems for securing axe shafts
• Two removable, shaped aluminium stays
• Padded back panel
• Roll-top closure
• Top Y-strap compression system designed to keep pack contents tight as well as to hold other gear and equipment
• Two side compression straps with side release buckles
• Padded shoulder straps
• Padded, removable hip belt with gear loops for racking carabiners
• Adjustable sternum strap with self-tensioning elastic
• Double-reinforced pack bottom
• Internal mesh pocket
• Haul loop handle
• Bar tacked reinforcements on all stress points
• 100% rainproof

Fit

I’m 175 cm tall and my Size M pack fits me perfectly. If you’re ordering a IcePack it is worth to take the time to measure your back to get the correct length.

Technical Innovations

It’s a completely stripped down pack, which can be modified to suit your needs. It uses Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s Cuben Fiber/ Polyester hybrid material, and the crampon attachment is unique, too. Overall the innovations in this pack is more in what is NOT there.

Quality

It’s a high quality pack, though some stitching could use a bit more attention to detail - it decreases the overall impression of what is otherwise a good backpack. The material is super durable and besides some cosmetic blemishes (mud and tree sap) the pack is still in top condition after over a year of use.

Update May 2013: Hyperlite Mountain Gear informed me that the stitiching has been improved on the newer packs and shouldn’t disappoint anymore. Furthermore, they are now taping the seams of the body of the pack with cuben fiber tape, this further reinforces the stitching and enhances the already very good water resistance of the pack.

Weight

The complete pack in Size M weighs 900 g on the spot. Here’s the breakdown of the weight

• 114 g removable stays
• 152 g removable waist belt
• 634 g backpack

My preferred setup is without the waist belt, which brings the weight down to 748 gram.

Sustainability & Recyclability

The pack is made of HMG’s Cuben Fiber/ Polyester hybrid material and hence is made of oil based materials. Thus it shouldn’t be thrown in the garbage like ordinary rubbish, you could try to either recycle it via your local outdoor shop or inquire from Hyperlite Mountain Gear how to recycle the IcePack at the end of its life cycle.

In use

I have used the IcePack more for hiking and cycling than for ice climbing, though it certainly excels for the latter activity. I have an Gregory Alpinisto 50, which should have a larger volume than the IcePack, though it is the other way around: The IcePack with its about 40 l of volume fits more gear, and more easily, than the Alpinisto. The IcePack also has a large opening and it is easy to pack and unpack.

Because there’s no separate internal pocket for small-ish stuff (at least not in my version, it looks like this might have been addressed in the newer packs) it’s not easy to organise in case you want that kind of stuff. The inside mesh pocket is “Meh” and while I haven’t yet cut it out I don’t see much use for it. But packing is rather straight forward: You just pack your gear bottom to top into the pack, close the velcro and roll it closed. Crampons and ice tools fit easily to the front and are very easy to attach, and a CCF pad or ropes can be attached via the top or side compression straps. This makes packing fast and convenient, though if you want a place to store your keys, wallet and cellphone you either should take a small stuff sack for them, or keep them on you.

I rarely use the hipbelt, because I feel that even with a heavy rope and a full pack it’s not needed, hence I detached it. The pack carries with the stays very well, and while with a light load and without the stays it still is good to carry you gain a lot of extra carrying comfort with the stays, so I always have them in. On the trip to Korouoma I carried about 10 kg of gear in it, and it was still perfectly fine to carry without the hipbelt and just using the padded shoulder straps.

HMG advertises that the gear loops on hip belt can be used for racking carabiners or ice screws, but for ‘biners the loops are rather tight and wide so I wouldn’t bother with it - they’re too difficult to get in or out, unless you want to attach them permanently for racking gear or use Ice Clipper ‘biners - then . If you use the Petzl ice screws with the flute storage, then racking them on the hipbelt is easy, though I prefer to rack all gear on my harness. I haven’t climbed with the backpack on, though, so if you climb very long multi-pitch routes you might find the hipbelt’s storage possibilities useful, though on the other hand the hipbelt might get in the way with your harness.

Competing Products

There are heaps of ice climbing specific packs available, but only a few which are truly lightweight. McHale makes exclusively custom-made backpacks which are raved about by their owners, and CiloGear’s WorkSacks also have been very positively reviewed. The KS Alpisack is an ultralight climbing pack Made in Japan, and also some European companies like CAMP, Grivel and Crux produce lightweight backpacks. From the big players Black Diamond and Mountain Hardwear make very good and light climbing specific backpacks.

What Others Say

Nick has put his HMG IcePack through a lot of climbing and hiking, and finds it superb. Amy likes the IcePack for its major reduction in weight, and Kai liked his pack so much that he bought a 2nd one. Finally, the Outdoor Gear Lab gives it 4 Stars.

Bottomline

Overall it’s a great pack in use: At the base of a climb or the start of the approach you easily can get your crampons and tools off the pack, and they’re as easily attached back to the backpack after a climb. The rather big storage of the 2400 cu model is big enough for fast & light climbing & camping weekends as well as for backpacking trips and the pack carries extremely well thanks to the stays. While the padded back is minimal it does the job well. The IcePack is very durable and takes the abuse from sharp tools and crampons without problems, and the material is thus far 100% waterproof - in neither rain nor snow the gear inside got wet. It is easy to attach gear to the outside to the backpack: The side compression straps with their buckles can hold a Z-Lite or thin CCF pad, and the top Y-Strap keeps your rope and helmet in place.

A couple of points of improvement would be to pay attention that the stiching is top everywhere, the option for a side pocket to easily store a Thermos flask, and a zippered inside pocket for small items. Other than that the IcePack is my top choice for ice climbing trips, as I value its great carrying capabilities while still being lightweight.

More photos on Flickr.

Where to buy the Hyperlite Mountain Gear IcePack

Buy it at Trekking-Lite-Store.com | Hyperlite Mountain Gear

In the next update

• In the next season I will add more on how the pack performs when climbing, if there were any failures, and more overall experiences

Disclaimer
Trekking-Lite-Store.com provided me the IcePack free of charge for testing, and paid me 1 kazillion € to review it.*

_{^{* One of these statements is not true.}}

Time

I have used the Petzl Nomic ice tools for seven full days of ice and mixed climbing. This review thus should be considered as an initial review, which I will update during the next winter season when I have used them more.

Function

Ice tools replace your hands when climbing ice falls or mixed terrain. The Nomics are to be used in a pair, and excel in climbing steep ice and mixed routes, though can be used on alpine ascents if you’re aware of their shortcoming for these undertakings.

Features

• Ergonomic, offset handle design - can be used with both hands
• Modular head for adapting the ice axe to the activity you’re doing: Without weights for drytooling, with weights for ice climbing, and a possibility to attach an adze and a hammer to place pitons
• Interchangeable pick: ICE for ice climbing, DRY for drytooling
• Serrated blade on the bottom of the griprest
• Adjustable Griprest: Pivots to accommodate larger and smaller hands/ gloves
• Great griptape above handle
• Leashless
• Strong curve for ice and mixed climbing

Fit

The Nomics arrived in a Medium setting on the Griprest, which suited me just fine in my ice climbing gloves. With the supplied Allen key it is easy to change the size if one has bigger or smaller hands. If you need an adze or hammer, or want to use the Nomics for drytooling, then it is equally easy to attach these accessories or remove the weights on the head.

Technical Innovations

My research indicates that Petzl was partly responsible for the introduction of leashless climbing tools with the first iteration of the Nomics in 2008. Leaving something away - in this case the leashes - is a form of optimising and minimalizing a design, which set a standard back then which other companies have followed since.

The overall design has a few innovations (serrated blade on grip rest, you can attach hammer and adze) though please check the other reviews listed below to read up them as some of these climbers have used the old and new tools.

Quality

Exceptional quality as always from Petzl. The Nomics are very well made tools, from the overall design which swings superbly to the use of material, even on details like the griptape which gives a bit of insulation and lets you grip the tool safely (as in it doesn’t slip). Made in France, 3 years of guarantee.

Weight

The Nomics weigh 608 g per tool including the weights on the head. Take these off with the supplied Allen key and the weight drops to 544 g per tool. Without the weight they are better for Drytooling, with the weights they’re superb for ice climbing as the added weight improves the swing and helps to drive the pick better into the ice.

Sustainability & Recyclability

Steel is used in the pick and spike, the shaft is made of an aluminium alloy and the grip is of plastic with a rubber griptape. You could recycle the pick easily, though as grip and shaft are one unit you might want to take them to your outdoor shop and let them handle the recycling of the tool. Unless you knock up the shaft a lot while drytooling I don’t expect that one needs to replace them at all, and happily it is very easy to replace the picks, which is the part which sees the most use. Though at 50€ a pick that can become rather costly, especially if you do a lot of mixed climbing.

In use

The swing of this tool feels great. It is a very well-balanced tool, with a beautiful swing. Reading up on technic I started with a big swing, but quickly realised that I didn’t need it to drive the pick into the ice. A small to medium move with a good wrist flick at the end is on all but the driest ice sufficient, as the head weights help sink the tool into the ice very effectively. The pick thus goes easily into the ice, and just as easily comes out again.

The blade at the bottom of the griprest - mine is set to medium to accommodate my small-ish hands, buffed up with a thick pair of gloves - grips well into the ice on steep terrain, and helps in going up steep ice. Also the angle of the shaft and handle help to reduce knuckle bashing - something that with straighter tools in the past was a problem. Even as a beginner I haven’t hit my knuckles once on ice or rock with the Nomics, which I’m very happy about.

Leashless climbing seems to be the norm nowadays, and while the danger of dropping a tool was something I was concerned about it really wasn’t an issue. I once dropped a tool - two meters above ground the first time I was climbing - and if dropping a tool is something you’re worried about then a springer leash is a useful accessory to get. Leashless ice tools make it very easy to swap tools on the ice. They’re also not restricting blood circulation as could be the case if you hang in your leashes. Thus switching tools on a route was very easy, and once I realised that I have this possibility it made some climbs significantly easier. For me the biggest benefit of this possibility was that I’m stronger with my right arm, and hence could first place the right tool, then switch hands and place also the second (left) tool with the right arm in those situations where the ice was crappy.

I tried a pair of Petzl Quarks and did not like their grip. The GRIPREST/ TRIGREST piece in the grip was above my index finger, which hindered blood circulation and I got cold hands - colder hands than I never got with my Nomics. You can apparently flick the Trigrest up and eliminate this problem. I also tried a pair of Grivel Quantum Tech tools which were wonderfully light, though their owner commented that he liked the slightly heavier Nomics as they go easier into the ice - with the Quantum Tech, which don’t have extra weights on the head, a little bit of extra power is needed for a good placement. These are not concerns for me at the moment, as these kind of factors are getting important if one climbs routes with 5+ Pitches and I’m not just there, yet =)

The Nomics are made for vertical, technical routes. Because of the aggressively curved shaft and angled pick it is easier to clear bulges and other features on ice routes, but if the ice gets less than 80° steep, the Nomics start to be less than optimal - for topping out on a climb they’re fine, though if you’re planning to get up a long, mildly steep ice field there are better tools available.

Competing Products

The Edelrid Rage is 660 g, the Black Diamond Fusion is 672 g and the Grivel Quantum Tech is 520 g. There’s probably more, please feel free to let me know in the comments (include a link to the tool, please).

What Others Say

Sheldon Kerr reviewed the Nomics for Alpinist Magazine and gave them 4 Stars. Dave Burdick compares the Black Diamond Fusion & Petzl Nomic in a Review. Dane from Cold Thistle compares the Old versus New Nomics. Kevin Avery reviews them favourably on UK Climbing. Genevieve Hathaway also finds the Petzl Nomics a superb choice for vertical, aggressive, and technical routes.

Bottomline

The Nomics are easy to use and I felt confident with them on the ice. Getting a good placement with them didn’t needed a lot of power, also because the superb ICE picks go into the ice like a hot knife into butter. Also getting them out again is easy, and thanks to their aggressively curved shaft and great grip I didn’t hit my knuckles once this season. Sometimes you need to grip your tool a bit higher on a climb, and thanks to the rubber griptape you can do so without fear of slipping. Switching tools is easy thanks to the Nomics being leashless and helps on difficult routes or rotten ice. The serrated blade at the bottom gives a bit of extra hold on steep ice, and if you need a hammer or an adze then you can attach them easily.

They are very well made tools with innovative details which make ice climbing a tiny bit easier and comfortable. I’m super happy with them, and look forward to using my two Nomics again next winter!

Plenty more photos on Flickr.

Where to buy the Petzl Nomic

Buy them at Camu | Mountain Shop ON OFFER - only 200€! | Varuste | Backcountry | Bergfreunde | Bergzeit | CampSaver 20% off - only $240 | REI

Replacement ICE Pick | Replacement DRY Pick

In the next update

• In the next season I will add more on how they’re in use climbing ice and mixed, possibly for alpine trips, if there were any failures, and more overall experiences

Disclaimer
Petzl’s Finland Distributor Vandernet provided me the Nomic ice tools free of charge for testing, and paid me 1 bazillion € to review them.*

_{^{* One of these statements is not true.}}

Time

The Grivel G20 crampons have been used for seven full days of ice climbing. This review should be considered as an initial review, which I will update during the next winter season when I have got more use with them.

Function

Their function is to add more traction if you’re traversing glaciers, are climbing in the mountains and on ice falls. During the course of this year they will likely be used for all three of these activities, though thus far they were used on approaches and for ice and mixed climbing.

Features

• The G20 is a mono-point crampon, which also has a short secondary front point
• It has a antibot plate in the back which works very well
• The step-in binding is closed with the Cramp-O-Matic system in the back, a wire bail in the front and a safety strap over the ankle
• 11 point and a half one =)
• It’s made of Chromolly steel
• It’s an asymmetric crampon with a semi-rigid design
• Has two points under the middle foot
• Comes with an extra com bar

Fit

Fitting the G20 to my Phantom Ultra boots was super easy: In the back you lift the small lever to adjust the length of the crampon to your boot - they suit boots from size 37 to 48. Once the correct length was found I simply slid the boot in the front wire bail, pulled the Cramp-O-Matic lever up and adjusted the tightness via the small dial to the correct fit. Then just close the safety strap and you’re wearing the crampon!

Technical Innovations

The pro-active anti-balling plate (or Antibot) is the first of its kind: It gets rid of the snow with every step taken, using its flexibility and the climber’s movement.

The Mono-Rail technology distributes the 11 points in an intelligent and original way, with two points under the middle foot. There’s less bulk because of the Mono-Rail and when not used the crampons pack in a small, tight package.

Quality

The G20 crampons are Made in Italy. Grivel has made it one of their hallmarks to produce their equipment in Europe. For me the G20 are impeccably made, with lots of attention to detail and innovative ideas. So far I haven’t observed any faults or problems with them.

Weight

848 g for the pair or 424 g per crampon. That’s 54 gram over claimed weight, but still acceptable. Together with my Phantom Ultra that makes a combined weight of crampon and boot of 1342 gram per foot.

Sustainability & Recyclability

The materials used in the G20 are Chromolly steel, Dyneema for the strap, and a bit of plastic and nylon. With the right tools you can take apart the different parts easily and could recycle the crampon easily.

In use

“Why Grivel and not Petzl or Black Diamond crampons?” some might be wondering. Well, I find Grivel a very sympathetic company, and it’s a company which since 1818 produces mountaineering equipment in Italy at the foot of the Mont Blanc. They have quite a few innovations to their name, and still continue to produce amazing equipment for Alpine adventures. And with the G20 crampons being the lightest crampon on the market it was an easy decision for me to get them.

They G20 crampons were super easy to fit my boots, are a compact and light package when not worn, are very easy and fast to put on, and perform for me very great on the ice, mixed and on approaches. On the Abisko Ice Climbing Festival I tried a pair of Petzl Dart mono-point crampons, though they didn’t feel as stable as my G20s. The small extra front point and their asymmetrical design work very well for me, and climbing in them was easy and good fun.

There seems to be some discussions that mono-points aren’t a good choice for beginners, as Dual Points are considered more stable on the ice. I haven’t tried Dual Point crampons yet, so can’t comment on that, though I imagine there’s some truth to that. Mono-points on the other hand are considered the best tool for mixed and harder routes. As a beginner I felt that the G20 were a good choice, and while there were blow-outs these were most often because of sloppy placements and not because of a missing second front point.

Climbing ice and mixed with the G20s felt agile and precise. Especially on rock the mono-point was superb, and the third points were useful for hooking on rocks. On ice the front point was easy to place well, and the second points were, after I reminded myself mentally of a heels down easily connecting to the ice and making for a secure and good stand.

Because the non-modular points of the G20 need to be sharpened to stay useful for climbing, they get shorter with wear. This means that after a couple of years (or however much one climbs/ sort of climbing) a new pair will be needed, or you just replace the front piece. The steel used in the G20 is of a high quality, though, and should keep me climbing for a couple of seasons without problems. Furthermore, these one-piece forged crampons are lighter than modular crampons where you can switch the front points. Also, since there are no moving parts, you don’t have to worry about screws coming loose or something which could go broken.

Competing Products

The Petzl Dart and the Black Diamond Stinger are both mono-point crampons, weighing claimed 824 g and 940 g respectively. The Stinger has an Antibot included, the Dart hasn’t - that’s extra weight coming on top to avoid balling. Also the Cassin CC is a mono-point crampon and has a claimed weight (without Antibot) of 850 g.

What Others Say

Dave Searle reviewed the G20 on Cold Thistle and he rates the G20 very high for climbing ice and mixed - read his review to gain further insights on how great these crampons are. The G20 are also Viv Scott’s Pick of the Season in this UK CLimbing article (scroll down).

Bottomline

I am very happy with the Grivel G20 crampons. Lightweight, nimble and precise in use, compact and light when carried, fitting my boots perfectly, these were for me the right crampons to start ice and mixed climbing with for me. They’re impeccably made, the Antibot works great and snow building up underneath the crampon is not a problem. The G20 stay sharp rather well and I only needed to take a file to them twice - if you do more mixed or walk over rocks this will be more, obviously. All things considered a superb crampon for what I am doing, and if you’re looking to start ice climbing and want the lightest crampon on the market - then look no further: The Grivel G20 is a great crampon and very light.

Plenty more photos on Flickr | Great intro article about crampons on REI.

Where to buy the Grivel G20

At Bergzeit they are currently 10% off and cost only 180€.

In the next update

• In the next season I will add more on how they’re in use climbing ice and mixed, for alpine trips and glacier travel, if there were any failures, and more overall experiences

Disclaiming the Disclaimer.

_{^{* One of these statements is not true.}}

Time

I have used the Scarpa Phantom Ultra boots for seven full days of ice climbing and a couple of days of walking. This review thus should be considered as an initial review, which I will update during the next winter season when I have got more use with them.

Function

The function of these boots is manyfold:

• keep your feet warm and dry in cold temperatures and wet conditions
• crampon compatible
• comfortable to walk in on long approaches
• rigid sole for climbing

So how does the Phantom Ultra do these things?

• Dry: Thanks to OutDry’s windproof and waterproof breathable membrane the boots stay dry in wet conditions, while letting your feet’s sweat escape. Don’t expect wonders, though: After a day of climbing the boot will be moist on the inside.
• Warm: They are warm, warmer than any other shoe or boot I have worn in winter, even after a long day outdoors. They are not as warm as double boots like the Phantom Guide or Phantom 6000, but for my needs they offer plenty of warmth. If you get very easily cold feet then one of the aforementioned Phantoms might be a better choice, though for me they offer plenty of warmth when out on a -15°C day climbing on frozen waterfalls.
• Crampon compatible: Sure thing, or did you think I climb ice without crampons?!
• Comfortable: As you know, I’m a trailrunner kind-of-guy. I wear them each day on all occasions, so getting into a boot was a new thing. Well, the Phantom Ultras were hailed as very comfortable boots in reviews, and I will join in that song. They are very comfortable. After I got used to walk in boots it was nice to put them on each morning and walk to the ice falls, and even on longer approaches they didn’t harm my feet. So far there have been no blisters or other foot problems, and just a very good, comfortable feeling.
• Stiff sole: The sole on the Phantom Ultra is a Pentax Speed sole, which is considered soft in the midsole. I haven’t been able to feel that, as a soft sole is for me something like the X-Talon 190 and the Phantom Ultra are for me rigid. As I have only used the Ultras I obviously can’t compare them to other technical mountaineering boots. Keep in mind though that I have quite small boots (Size 42.5) which are inherently more rigid than larger sized models, where this soft midsole could be easier felt.

Features

Some of the features you already read about above, other things which I really liked:

• The laces are great: Easy to knot and open, just the right length and a great match for this boot
• Integrated gaiter means no need for an extra gaiter to keep snow out of your boots
• A Vibram Sole which won’t let you slip on wet rocks

Fit

My pair is a Size 42.5 and they fit very well. I took them a half number bigger so that I’m not hitting my toes against the inside of the shoe when kicking the crampons in the ice, and that works well.

The boots fit me perfectly. Out of the box. There was no long, painful walks required to make them comfortable and fitting my feet, they just were perfect from the start. Plenty of room for the toes, even in thick socks, a tight fit in the heel, comfortable around the ankle and lower leg, a little bit of flex when walking, rigid enough for climbing.

Technical Innovations

Ueli Steck helped develop this boot, and on his recommendation Scarpa partnered with OutDry which provides the WPB membrane for the boot. I feel that OutDry dries faster than Gore Tex in shoes, at least my shoes where, when overnight indoors, dry again the next morning.

Of course the weight of these boots is one of the biggest innovations, there were, as these boots came out, not many comparable boots which were as light and warm.

Quality

These boots are 100% Made in Italy, and if you know a thing or two about shoes then you likely are aware that the Italians are great craftsman which can make superb shoes and boots. This pair is no different, and the Phantom Ultras are impeccably made. From a smooth outer which is waterproof and which offers no place for stones, snow, dirt and dust to enter or a crampon to snatch a lace to a comfortable inner these boots are exceptionally well made.

Weight

My Phantom Ultras are 1845 gram for the pair or 918 g per shoe, Size 42,5. That’s slightly over the claimed weight of 850 gram per boot but still acceptable for me. The new La Sportiva Batura 2.0 is lighter, as are the new Scarpa Rebel GTX.

Sustainability & Recyclability

I expect these boots to hold very long. Probably the zipper or the gaiter will be the first ones to go broken, but the sole and boot itself make a very durable impression on me. And even when the sole will wear down, you can get them resoled.

More in the future.

In use

Before I decided to get the Phantom Ultra I did quite a bit of research. Dane from Cold Thistle, Artturi, Toby, Joni and Nick all have helped me to make the decision. Especially Nick and Dane who also both use the Phantom Ultras have been answering my questions about warmth and sizes - again many thanks for that.

Once the boots were here I decided to go for a walk in them. It’s surprising how different boots feel after years of using only trailrunners and slip-ons. I got used to it pretty quickly though, and appreciated how warm they were. On their first outing we had a short walk-in in deep snow, and walking wasn’t a problem by now anymore. Climbing then.

After I put on my crampons, a first for me, I walked up to the ice and started my first ice climb. It wasn’t that cold that day, and my skills were at the beginning, but what they were supposed to do they did: I had warm feet, happily kicked my crampons in the ice and didn’t hit my toes. In Abisko then the walk-ins were equally short, but in Korouoma we were hiking for up to 45 minutes from the camp (and the hike out back to the car was a strenuous 30 minutes uphill hike!). In these situations the boots performed great too, the secret is to not lace them up to tight - that way the walking is more comfortable. But also because they have a bit of flex they’re good to walk in.

Once I broke through the ice underneath a fall and stood till my knee in ice cold water, but thanks to the integrated gaiter only a tiny bit came inside. But even after this accident I didn’t get cold feet at temperatures of around -10°C, standing on ice at the bottom of a fall belaying my partner leading up a route, which was evidence for their warmth for me.

In Korouoma I also slept outside, and after a full day of climbing the boots were slightly moist from sweat. In the hut I was able to dry them a bit by the stove, but they were next to me in my shelter during the night. As I woke up in the morning it was -15°C and getting in the frozen boots was difficult, but once inside and walking they quickly got warm again, and there were no problems with cold toes/ feet.

Overall I rate them very high: Comfortable to walk in on approaches, rigid soles for climbing, warm when standing on ice and belaying, and keeping my feet dry from the water you’re bound to encounter when ice climbing.

Competing Products

A whole lot, but only a handful in the same weight category: the La Sportiva Batura 2.0 GTX is claimed 1800 gram for the pair. It’s the lightest alternative I’m aware of, although the Mammut Nordwand TL is only a few dozen of gram heavier with a claimed weight of 1888 gram. The new Scarpa Rebel GTX are lighter too, but have no integrated gaiters. If you know other lightweight boots please leave a comment (incl. weight if possible!) and I’ll add them here.

What Others Say

Dane from Cold Thistle rates the Phantom Ultras very high, as does Nick.

Bottomline

I’m very happy with the Scarpa Phantom Ultra boots and can recommend them for anyone who is looking for a lightweight boot for ice & mixed climbing and winter mountaineering. They’re warm enough reasonably cold conditions (about -20°C I’d say), keep your feet dry and are comfortable to walk in. They’re great for climbing both ice and mixed, easy to put on and also look very good in my opinion. And after all: Boots that are used by Ueli Steck just can’t be bad =)

Plenty more photos on Flickr.

Where to buy the Phantom Ultra

Only the Bergfreunde have the Phantom Ultra in stock. However, Backcountry and Bergzeit have other Phantom models in case you’re looking for double boot, or contact them and ask if they can get the boots for you.

In the next update

• In the next season I will add more on how they’re in use climbing ice and mixed, if there were any failures, and overall experiences

Disclaiming the Disclaimer

Time

The NeoAir XTherm arrived in 2011 and I have been using it a lot since, even on trips where I was wondering if it is smart to take such a mat with me. The mat has been holding up very well and shows no signs of usage after over 30 nights on it. It’s stored at the moment deflated & rolled up to safe space, though once I’m moving I will store it unrolled & inflated as it is recommended.

It got used on the UL Summit in Slovenia, Bikepacking, Autumn hikes on the Pirkan Taival and winter hikes in the Helvetinjärvi National Park, Korouoma and overnighters.

Function

The XTherm’s function is to provide you with a warm and comfortable bed at camp while being small & light when being carried in your pack. In both aspects, camp-use and during hiking, it performs superbly. It has a small enough pack size, inflates fully with 15 to 20 puffs, and is warm and very comfortable in use.

What this means in practice is that when you’re hiking the XTherm won’t take a lot of space in your pack, and when you arrive at camp it isn’t too strenuous to inflate the mat - you could even use the pack sack as an inflation bag if you’re out of breath. The mat is a superb padding on hard and uneven undergrounds, and insulates you against the cold that creeps up from the ground, even in the depth of winter. It works very well together with quilts but sleeping bag users will like it just as much.

Features

The XTherm has horizontal, over 6 cm thick baffles and is tapered at the ends, and has a friction surface which stops you from sliding around. The pack sack functions as a inflation bag though I never have bothered with that, although the idea is that it helps to avoid getting moisture inside which could possibly freeze and damage the internals of the mat. That hasn’t been a problem for me yet, even if the XTherm has been outdoors a lot in cold temperatures. It comes with a repair kit, too.

Fit

The XTherm comes in four lengths, and I decided to get the Regular length. I have had a Short NeoAir in the past which was not comfortable for me, as the drop-off was at my knees. I tried putting thicker equipment under my legs to make the height difference bearable, but in the end wasn’t happy with the solutions. The Regular length XTherm, 183 cm long, is superb for me (175 cm tall, 63 kg light). I can sleep comfortably on the mat, be it on my side, back or stomach. I also never compress the mat enough to touch the ground with my hips or elbows when on the mat, which sometimes can happen for side sleepers on thin mats. Its tapered at the ends, but is still wide enough so that head and feet stay on the mat.

Technical Innovations

The Reflective Barriers used in the XTherm are a new technology which Therm-A-Rest is using in this mattress, which help to save weight and bulk. Four layers of this reflective material recycle body heat and create air pockets that reduce convective heat loss. Additionally Therm-A-Rest developed a Triangular Core Matrix construction which provides stability and comfort. In practice these have been working for me indeed as claimed, the pad is very warm and stable to sleep on, be it on my back, side or belly.

Quality

I need to say that thus far (30+ nights) I am amazed about the quality of the XTherm. I know that e.g. Colin has had less luck with other NeoAir models, which have developed a “pillow” after 60 nights on them, but so far I have not had any problems with my XTherm. It’s also surprisingly durable, in that it has been laid down on rough mountain floors and hard, ice covered snow & ice and has withstood that without problems. If it doesn’t develop the pillow then I am sure that I will get many years use out of this mat.

Weight

My XTherm in Regular length (183 cm long) is 427 gram. It is a lot warmer than my RidgeRest Solar, packs A LOT smaller and is lighter, too. Overall I rate this a the go-to mat for weight conscious backpackers who sleep outdoors in real cold weather.

Sustainability & Recyclability

It’s made of oil based materials and has a coating on the inside, so shouldn’t be thrown in the garbage like ordinary rubbish. You could try to either recycle it via your local outdoor shop or inquire from Therm-A-Rest how to recycle the mat at the end of its life cycle.

More coming later.

In use

I have used the XTherm pretty much always with a CCF pad, mostly the superb Exped Doublemat which I have cut in half for 3 Season use, or a Multimat Summit XL or RidgeRest Solar in winter. In winter it’s to get a little bit of extra warmth, in summer to protect the pad slightly better from sharp rocks or sticks. Inflating it is easy even after a 30 km day, and it takes me less than 2 minutes to get the mat fully inflated. Before I go to sleep I add a few extra puffs - I like to sleep on a hard mat - and that is it.

In the mornings the deflating and rolling up is similarly easy, I fold the pad a couple of times and then knee on it, and then just roll it up. I don’t use the pack sack (heavy!) and just pack it fairly in the middle of my pack with the shelter and bivy. The noise the internal baffles make is not a problem for me, though if you camp with other people in the same shelter and move a lot in your sleep, it might be something that could bother. It will not impact your sleep in any way, though.

I have slept down to -12°C only with the NeoAir XTherm on the ground and down to -17°C with a CCF pad underneath it. In both setups I was comfortably warm and didn’t feel any cold coming up from the ground through the mat. I feel confident to take the mat out in up to -30°C nights together with a CCF pad in winter.

If you’re now under the impression that the XTherm is only a winter mat, let me correct that view right away! While it certainly shines in cold temperatures, it is also great in summer. So have I used it for example for one week on the Ultralight Summit in Slovenia last year, where we were in August. During the day we had temps of over 35°C but at night high up in the mountains it quickly got cold once the sun set, and during the night temperatures were as low as 5°C. In these situations I was happy that I had the XTherm with me, as the rocks on the high plateau were not warm! Also here in the north, especially above the Arctic Circle, temperatures in the summer can sometimes drop down to 0°C and in those situations a mat like the XTherm comes in very useful, guaranteeing you a comfortable night.

Competing Products

The Exped Synmat UL 7 and the Exped Downmat 7 both are similarly warm, yet sadly Exped’s quality control lets quite a few faulty mats end up in customer hands so reviews are mixed. The Mammut SoftSkin Mat too has a good R-Value, as does the Big Agnes Q-Core SL.

What Others Say

Michael likes the XTherm and compares it to two other mats. Max from the Outdoor Gear Lab gives the XTherm five stars.

Bottomline

Quite easily the best all-season mat I have slept on to date. Lightweight, small pack size, warm and comfortable, the NeoAir XTherm ticks a lot of boxes that are important for backpackers that value a good nights sleep while not carrying heavy, bulky mats. If I know that I want a good nights sleep then I bring along the XTherm, which lately has been pretty much always.

If you only want one inflatable mattress for all your trips, be they in winter or summer, for an overnighter in the nearby forest or for an high alpine adventure in the Alps, then the NeoAir XTherm is your mat of choice.

More photos on Flickr.

Where to buy the NeoAir XTherm

Buy it at Backcountry $190 | Bergfreunde 140€ | Bergzeit 170€ | CampSaver $190 | REI $180

In the next update

• More on Sustainability & Recyclability

Disclaimer
Therm-A-Rest provided me the XTherm free of charge for testing, and paid me 1 million € to review it.*

_{^{* One of these statements is not true.}}